What, where, and when: Spatial-temporal distribution of macro-litter on the seafloor of the western and central Mediterranean sea.

The progressive increase of marine macro-litter on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea is an urgent problem that needs accurate information and guidance to identify those areas most at risk of accumulation. In the absence of dedicated monitoring programs, an important source of opportunistic data is fishery-independent monitoring campaigns of demersal resources. These data have long been used but not yet extensively. In this paper, MEDiterranean International Trawl Survey (MEDITS) data was supplemented with 18 layers of information related to major environmental (e.g. depth, sea water and wind velocity, sea waves) and anthropogenic (e.g. river inputs, shipping lanes, urban areas and ports, fishing effort) forcings that influence seafloor macro-litter distribution. The Random Forest (RF), a machine learning approach, was applied to: i) model the distribution of several litter categories at a high spatial resolution (i.e. 1 km2); ii) identify major accumulation hot spots and their temporal trends. Results indicate that RF is a very effective approach to model the distribution of marine macro-litter and provides a consistent picture of the heterogeneous distribution of different macro-litter categories. The most critical situation in the study area was observed in the north-eastern part of the western basin. In addition, the combined analysis of weight and density data identified a tendency for lighter items to accumulate in areas (such as the northern part of the Tyrrhenian Sea) with more stagnant currents. This approach, based on georeferenced information widely available in public databases, seems a natural candidate to be applied in other basins as a support and complement tool to field monitoring activities and strategies for protection and remediation of the most impacted areas.

Ontogenetic Shifts in Body Morphology of Demersal Sharks' Species (Order: Squaliformes) Inhabiting the Western-Central Mediterranean Sea, with Implications for Their Bio-Ecological Role.

Several elasmobranch species undergo shifts in body proportions during their ontogenetic growth. Such morphological changes could reflect variation in diet, locomotion, or, more broadly, in the species' interactions with their environment. However, to date, only a few studies have been conducted on this topic, and most of them focused on particular body regions. In the present study, the ontogenetic growth of five different demersal shark species was investigated by using both traditional linear morphometry of the entire body and shape analysis of the caudal fin. A total of 449 sharks were analysed: 95 little gulper sharks, 80 longnose spurdogs, 103 kitefin sharks, 124 velvet belly lanternsharks, and 47 angular roughsharks. From each specimen, 36 linear morphometric measurements were taken. While a first canonical analysis of principal coordinates ruled out the possibility of different growth patterns between males and females, the same analysis statistically discriminated between small and large individuals in every species based on their morphology. A Similarity Percentage analysis revealed that the most important measurements in distinguishing these two groups were those related to body lengths, indicating that large individuals are more elongated than small individuals. The shape analysis of caudal fins revealed allometric growth during ontogenetic development, with adult individuals having a wider fin (discriminant analysis, p < 0.05). These findings could be related to changes in predatory skills, supporting the hypothesis of a shift in the ecological role that these sharks play in their environment, thus providing new essential information for their conservation.

Comparative microplastic load in two decapod crustaceans Palinurus elephas (Fabricius, 1787) and Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758).

The present work compares microplastics (MPs) contamination in two charismatic crustaceans: European spiny lobster Palinurus elephas and langoustine Nephrops norvegicus. Samples (P. elephas n = 14; N. norvegicus n = 15) were collected between 76 and 592 m depth, from four sites in west Sardinia, Italy. An extraction protocol was applied on stomachs and intestines, separately, and over 500 particles were further characterized through µFT-IR. We document 100 % occurrence in specimens from both species, with P. elephas being significantly more contaminated (9.1 ± 1.75 vs. 3.2 ± 0.45 MPs individual-1), ingesting larger MPs with different polymeric composition. The scavenging-based feeding strategy of both species could explain such exposure to MPs, mostly derived by single-use plastic. The overall results highlight that both species are clearly affected by plastic pollution, being valuable bioindicators and charismatic species that could thus represent excellent flagship species for raising awareness toward the global issue of plastic in the marine environment.

Movement patterns analysis as a tool in Fully Protected Areas design: Influence of relocations on travelled distances of Palinurus elephas (Fabr. 1787) in Sardinian FPAs (central-western Mediterranean).

Effectiveness of restocking programs in Marine Fully Protected Areas' (FPAs) can be highly affected by the movement behavior of the species to protect. We analyzed the data of 744 Palinurus elephas specimens tagged, relocated inside 12 FPAs, established in the seas surrounding Sardinia (central-western Mediterranean), and then recaptured. The overall aims were to characterize the individuals' movements after the relocation and to discuss strengths and weaknesses of the current FPAs' design. Almost 80% of tagged individuals travelled progressively increasing distances, as a function of the release distance, up to a maximum value of 11,500 m. Then, for larger release distances, individuals' mobility appeared reduced and more chaotic. A similar trend was found analyzing the distances travelled with respect to the FPAs with the highest number of recaptured individuals and to the size. These results allow to establish a threshold limit of the release distance, to take into account when designing FPAs, as a useful tool to keep a portion of the individuals into FPAs' borders, in order to both preserve the species and guarantee a spillover of individuals in the commercial areas.

The Use of Reproductive Indicators for Conservation Purposes: The Case Study of Palinurus elephas in Two Fully Protected Areas and Their Surrounding Zones (Central-Western Mediterranean).

In 1990s, the European spiny lobster Palinurus elephas, one of the most commercially important species in the Mediterranean, exhibited a population decline. For this reason, fully protected areas (FPAs) appeared effective in re-establishing natural populations and supporting fishery-management objectives. Here, the reproductive parameters of P. elephas populations in two different FPAs (Su Pallosu and Buggerru, central-western Mediterranean), where a restocking programme was carried out, and in their surrounding commercial zones, were investigated from quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The comparison of fecundity between females collected inside and outside FPAs did not show statistical differences as well as the vitellogenin concentration, which did not vary among eggs of different size classes of females caught inside and outside the FPAs, indicating the same reproductive potential. The study demonstrated a benefit of overexploited populations in terms of enhancement of egg production overtime (15 years for Su Pallosu and 6 years for Buggerru) with a mean egg production 4.25-5.5 times higher at the end of the study than that observed at the beginning of the study. The main driver of eggs production appeared to be size, with larger lobsters more present inside the FPAs than outside. Given these results, the dominant contribution of the two studied FPAs to the regional lobster reproduction is remarkable.

Creating a provincial post COVID-19 interdisciplinary clinical care network as a learning health system during the pandemic: Integrating clinical care and research.

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) affects multiple organ systems in the acute phase and also has long-term sequelae. Research on the long-term impacts of COVID-19 is limited. The Post COVID-19 Interdisciplinary Clinical Care Network (PC-ICCN), conceived in July 2020, is a provincially funded resource that is modelled as a Learning Health System (LHS), focused on those people with persistent symptoms post COVID-19 infection. Methods: The PC-ICCN emerged through collaboration among over 60 clinical specialists, researchers, patients, and health administrators. At the core of the network are the post COVID-19 Recovery Clinics (PCRCs), which provide direct patient care that includes standardized testing and education at regular follow-up intervals for a minimum of 12 months post enrolment. The PC-ICCN patient registry captures data on all COVID-19 patients with confirmed infection, by laboratory testing or epi-linkage, who have been referred to one of five post COVID-19 Recovery Clinics at the time of referral, with data stored in a fully encrypted Oracle-based provincial database. The PC-ICCN has centralized administrative and operational oversight, multi-stakeholder governance, purpose built data collection supported through clinical operations geographically dispersed across the province, and research operations including data analytics. Results: To date, 5364 patients have been referred, with an increasing number and capacity of these clinics, and 2354 people have had at least one clinic visit. Since inception, the PC-ICCN has received over 30 research proposal requests. This is aligned with the goal of creating infrastructure to support a wide variety of research to improve care and outcomes for patients experiencing long-term symptoms following COVID-19 infection. Conclusions: The PC-ICCN is a first-in-kind initiative in British Columbia to enhance knowledge and understanding of the sequelae of COVID-19 infection over time. This provincial initiative serves as a model for other national and international endeavors to enable care as research and research as care.

Investigating the Ovarian Microstructure in the Genera Helicolenus and Scorpaena (Teleostei, Sub-Order Scorpaenoidei) with Implications for Ovarian Dynamics and Spawning.

The sub-order Scorpenoidei appears to be particularly interesting due to the presence of intermediate stages between oviparity and viviparity in several species. The present study aims to describe the ovarian morphology, using a histological and histochemical approach, in four ovuliparous species belonging to Scorpaena genus compared with a zygoparous species, H. dactylopterus, focusing also on the assessment of the ovarian dynamics in the populations of such species in Sardinia waters (central-western Mediterranean). Ovarian sections of all species were examined using light microscopy. All species showed a specialized ovary, cystovarian type II-3, strictly related to the production of gelatinous matrices surrounding the eggs. Some microscopic peculiarities in the oogenesis process were found: thin zona pellucida, small and low cortical alveoli, and a specialized ovarian wall during the spawning period. All species analyzed were batch-spawners with an asynchronous ovarian organization. A continuous recruitment of oocytes and the occurrence of de novo vitellogenesis was also observed. During the spawning period, low atresia intensity was detected, while a marked increase in this intensity found in the ovaries at the end of spawning season. Our observations may support an indeterminate fecundity type for these species.

Environmental Status and Geomorphological Characterisation of Seven Black Coral Forests on the Sardinian Continental Shelf (NW Mediterranean Sea).

Marine animal forests are key mesophotic ecosystems that are under threat from increasing natural and human pressures. Despite the fact that various international agreements strive to preserve these fragile ecosystems, the environmental status of the majority of these animal-structured environments is unknown. Assessing their environmental status is the first step needed to monitor these essential habitats' health over time and include them within conservation and protection frameworks, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Based on Multibeam data and ROV footage, we characterized the geomorphological setting and evaluated the environmental status of seven black coral forests in the centre of the Western Mediterranean Sea, using the Mesophotic Assemblages Conservation Status (MACS) Index. The presence of two antipatharians, Antipathella subpinnata and Leiopathes glaberrima, characterized the seven investigated sites, dwelling on rocky substrate characterized by different environmental drivers (i.e., depth, slope of the substrate, terrain ruggedness, topographic positioning index, and aspect). From the combined evaluation of the associated benthic community status and the anthropogenic impacts affecting it, a "high" and "good" environmental status was assessed for five out of the seven studied black forests, with only two forests classified as having a "moderate" and "poor" status, respectively. Overall, our study showed a site-specific variability of mesophotic black coral forest status, explained by different biological community structures and environmental conditions mainly associated with morphological and anthropogenic factors.

Rivers of waste: Anthropogenic litter in intermittent Sardinian rivers, Italy (Central Mediterranean).

While the increasing accumulation of anthropogenic litter in the marine environment has received considerable attention over the last decade, litter occurrence and distribution in rivers, the main source of marine litter, have been comparatively less investigated. Moreover, little information is available about the amount and typology of Riverine Anthropogenic Macro-litter (RAM) entering marine environments from intermittent rivers in low populated areas of the Mediterranean basin. To provide insights on this issue, we investigated density and composition of RAM accumulated over a total of 133 riverbanks, belonging to 37 river basins in the Sardinia Island (Mediterranean Sea). We report here that plastics, especially single-use items, represent the most frequent and abundant RAM category in all investigated basins. Statistical modelling revealed that occurrence of lightweight RAM (especially plastic) is mostly explained by levels of urban (12.3% of the relative contribution) and agricultural (12%) land use of the territory, whereas the proximity of bridges to the sampling point (21%) and the local population density (19.8%) are best predictors of heavy weighted RAM items (i.e., large metal items, appliances) occurrence. Our results confirm that plastics represent an important component of RAM and pinpoint that, beside plastic reduction policies and better waste management, actions aimed at abating and monitoring litter contamination should be localized on the proximity of bridges, whatever the local population density. Finally, to fill existing knowledge gaps in understanding the severity of litter discharge and accumulation in the Mediterranean Sea, land-to-sea systematic monitoring campaigns at appropriate spatial and temporal scales should be put in place.

Deep-Dwelling Populations of Mediterranean Corallium rubrum and Eunicella cavolini: Distribution, Demography, and Co-Occurrence.

Corallium rubrum and Eunicella cavolini are two octocorals, reported as co-occurring species in the deep rocky habitats of the Mediterranean Sea with a high hydrodynamic and moderate eutrophication. Their spatial distribution and demography in the deep sea are mainly affected by temperature and direct and indirect anthropogenic activities; however, knowledge of the factors that potentially influence their co-existence is scarce. This paper provides novel data on the distribution and demography of these two species, at depths between 50 and 290 m in the Western Mediterranean Sea, providing insights on their co-occurrence. Both species exhibited the highest population density at deeper sites (>150 m), showing an inverse size-density relation. Density values ranged from 0.03 colonies m-2 to 32 and 80 col. m-2 for yellow gorgonian and red coral, respectively. The two species co-occurred in 13% of the total frames examined, mostly dwelling between 120 and 160 m depth. Distance-based linear modeling (DistLM) emphasized that when co-occurring the variability of the two species' densities were significantly driven by the density-rather than the morphology (i.e., height)-of the other species. We stress the need for further studies to elucidate the possible mutual effects of suspension feeders and to test the role of different environmental factors potentially influencing inter-specific relationships.

Scattered accumulation hotspots of macro-litter on the seafloor: Insights for mitigation actions.

Marine litter is an ever-increasing problem that demands immediate reduction plans and mitigation actions that should act synergically to efficiently meet ambitious goals. Since the seafloor has been recognized as the major sink for marine debris, the study of litter accumulation dynamics represent a fundamental tool to evaluate possible removal actions. We analysed a 7 years (2013-2019) standardized data series collected along Sardinian fishing grounds through MEDiterranean International Trawl Survey, for which estimates of density and weight of seafloor macro-litter were calculated for over 707 hauls. Results show the absence of any temporal trend in seafloor macro-litter density and weight, but rather indicate a spatial and bathymetric segregation of different litter categories. Our data showed how different sources and physical features of macro-litter items (i.e., plastic and fishing gear, rubber, glass, metals, and cloth) led to spatially segregated accumulation hotspots. We also point out here how the identification of seafloor macro-litter hotspots using aggregated data that include plastic items could obscure the identification of other segregated but yet relevant hotspots of other macro-litter categories accumulated in the marine environment. These hotspots often occurred at shallower depths and closer to coastlines, thus representing potential spots where eventual future litter removal action could be prioritized.

Digital mHealth and Virtual Care Use During COVID-19 in 4 Countries: Rapid Landscape Review.

BACKGROUND: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing health care while maintaining social distancing has resulted in the need to provide care remotely, support quarantined or isolated individuals, monitor infected individuals and their close contacts, as well as disseminate accurate information regarding COVID-19 to the public. This has led to an unprecedented rapid expansion of digital tools to provide digitized virtual care globally, especially mobile phone-facilitated health interventions, called mHealth. To help keep abreast of different mHealth and virtual care technologies being used internationally to facilitate patient care and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, we carried out a rapid investigation of solutions being deployed and considered in 4 countries. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to describe mHealth and the digital and contact tracing technologies being used in the health care management of the COVID-19 pandemic among 2 high-income and 2 low-middle income countries. METHODS: We compared virtual care interventions used for COVID-19 management among 2 high-income countries (the United Kingdom and Canada) and 2 low-middle income (Kenya and Rwanda) countries. We focused on interventions used to facilitate patient care and public health. Information regarding specific virtual care technologies was procured from a variety of resources including gray literature, government and health organization websites, and coauthors' personal experiences as implementers of COVID-19 virtual care strategies. Search engine queries were performed to find health information that would be easily accessible to the general public, with keywords including "COVID-19," "contact-tracing," "tool-kit," "telehealth," and "virtual care," in conjunction with corresponding national health authorities. RESULTS: We identified a variety of technologies in Canada, the United Kingdom, Rwanda, and Kenya being used for patient care and public health. These countries are using both video and text message-based platforms to facilitate communication with health care providers (eg, WelTel and Zoom). Nationally developed contact tracing apps are provided free to the public, with most of them using Bluetooth-based technology. We identified that often multiple complimentary technologies are being utilized for different aspects of patient care and public health with the common purpose to disseminate information safely. There was a negligible difference among the types of technologies used in both high-income and low-middle income countries, although the latter implemented virtual care interventions earlier during the pandemic's first wave, which may account for their effective response. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual care and mHealth technologies have evolved rapidly as a tool for health care support for both patient care and public health. It is evident that, on an international level, a variety of mHealth and virtual care interventions, often in combination, are required to be able to address patient care and public health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, independent of a country's economic standing.

Bio-Ecological Features Update on Eleven Rare Cartilaginous Fish in the Central-Western Mediterranean Sea as a Contribution for Their Conservation.

Cartilaginous fish are commonly recognized as key species in marine ecosystems for their fundamental ecological role as top predators. Nevertheless, effective management plans for cartilaginous fish are still missing, due to the lack of knowledge on their abundance, distribution or even life-history. In this regard, this paper aims at providing new information on the life-history traits, such as age, maturity, reproductive period, in addition to diet characteristics of eleven rare cartilaginous fish inhabiting the Central-Western Mediterranean Sea belonging to the orders Chimaeriformes (Chimaera monstrosa), Hexanchiformes (Heptranchias perlo and Hexanchus griseus), Myliobatiformes (Aetomylaeus bovinus and Myliobatis aquila), Rajiformes (Dipturus nidarosiensis and Leucoraja circularis), Squaliformes (Centrophorus uyato, Dalatias licha and Oxynotus centrina) and Torpediniformes (Tetronarce nobiliana), useful for their assessment and for future management actions. Particularly, the present paper provides for the first time the age estimation of D. nidarosienis and L. circularis which were both found capable of becoming older than ten years. In addition, the present study updates the sizes of first maturity of C. uyato and D. licha, which appeared to be capable of reproducing earlier than what was previously hypothesized, representing very valuable information for a better understanding of these rare species populations status and, eventually, their conservation. On the basis of the stomach content analysis, it was possible to identify five different predator groups.

A Taxonomic Survey of Female Oviducal Glands in Chondrichthyes: A Comparative Overview of Microanatomy in the Two Reproductive Modes.

Oviducal glands (OGs) are distinct expanded regions of the anterior portion of the oviduct, commonly found in chondrichthyans, which play a key role in the production of the egg in-vestments and in the female sperm storage (FSS). The FSS phenomenon has implications for understanding the reproductive ecology and management of exploited populations, but little information is available on its taxonomic extent. For the first time, mature OGs from three lecithotrophic oviparous and four yolk-sac viviparous species, all considered at risk from the fishing impacts in the central western Mediterranean Sea, were examined using light microscopy. The OG microanatomy, whose morphology is generally conserved in all species, shows differences within the two reproductive modalities. Oviparous species show a more developed baffle zone in respect to viviparous ones because of the production of different egg envelopes produced. Among oviparous species, Raja polystigma and Chimaera monstrosa show presence of sperm, but not sperm storage as observed, instead, in Galeus melastomus and in all the viviparous sharks, which preserve sperm inside of specialized structures in the terminal zone.

Scattered accumulation hotspots of macro-litter on the seafloor: Insights for mitigation actions.

Marine litter is an ever-increasing problem that demands immediate reduction plans and mitigation actions that should act synergically to efficiently meet ambitious goals. Since the seafloor has been recognized as the major sink for marine debris, the study of litter accumulation dynamics represents a fundamental tool to evaluate future removal actions. We analysed a 7 years (2013-2019) standardized data series collected along Sardinian fishing grounds through MEDiterranean International Trawl Survey, for which estimates of density and weight of seafloor macro-litter were calculated over 707 hauls. Results show the absence of any temporal trend in seafloor macro-litter density and weight, but rather indicate a spatial and bathymetric segregation of different litter categories. Our data showed how different sources and physical features of macro-litter items (i.e., plastic and fishing gears, rubber, glass, metal and textile) led to spatially segregated accumulation hotspots. These hotspots often occurred at shallower depths and closer to coastlines, representing spots where future litter removal action could be prioritized. We also point out here how the identification of seafloor macro-litter hotspots using aggregated data that include plastic items could indeed hide the identification of hotspots of other less abundant but yet detrimental macro-litter categories accumulated in the marine environment.

Microplastic pollution in perch (Perca fluviatilis, Linnaeus 1758) from Italian south-alpine lakes.

Microplastic particles (MPs) contamination of aquatic environments has raised a growing concern in recent decades because of their numerous potential toxicological effects. Although fish are among the most studied aquatic organisms, reports on MPs ingestion in freshwater environments are still scarce. Thus, there is still much to study to understand the uptake mechanisms, their potential accumulation among the food webs and their ecotoxicological effects. Here, MPs presence in the digestive system of one of the most widespread and commercially exploited freshwater fish, the perch (Perca fluviatilis, Linnaeus 1758), was investigated in four different south-alpine lakes, to assess the extent of ingestion and evaluate its relation to the body health condition. A total of 80 perch specimen have been sampled from the Italian lakes Como, Garda, Maggiore and Orta. Microplastic particles occurred in 86% of the analysed specimens, with average values ranging from 1.24 ± 1.04 MPs fish-1 in L. Como to 5.59 ± 2.61 MPs fish-1 in L. Garda. The isolated particles were mainly fragments, except in L. Como where films were more abundant. The most common polymers were polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, and polycarbonate, although a high degree of degradation was found in 43% of synthetic particles, not allowing their recognition up to a single polymer. Despite the high number of ingested MPs, fish health (evaluated by means of Fulton's body condition and hepatosomatic index) was not affected. Instead, fullness index showed an inverse linear relationship with the number of ingested particles, which suggests that also in perch MPs presence could interfere with feeding activity, as already described for other taxa.

Angiotensin Receptor Blockers and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors in COVID-19: Meta-analysis/Meta-regression Adjusted for Confounding Factors.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and/or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors could alter mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but existing meta-analyses that combined crude and adjusted results may be confounded by the fact that comorbidities are more common in ARB/ACE inhibitor users. METHODS: We searched PubMed/MEDLINE/Embase for cohort studies and meta-analyses reporting mortality by preexisting ARB/ACE inhibitor treatment in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Random effects meta-regression was used to compute pooled odds ratios for mortality adjusted for imbalance in age, sex, and prevalence of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease between users and nonusers of ARBs/ACE inhibitors at the study level during data synthesis. RESULTS: In 30 included studies of 17,281 patients, 22%, 68%, 25%, and 11% had cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease. ARB/ACE inhibitor use was associated with significantly lower mortality after controlling for potential confounding factors (odds ratio 0.77 [95% confidence interval: 0.62, 0.96]). In contrast, meta-analysis of ARB/ACE inhibitor use was not significantly associated with mortality when all studies were combined with no adjustment made for confounders (0.87 [95% confidence interval: 0.71, 1.08]). CONCLUSIONS: ARB/ACE inhibitor use was associated with decreased mortality in cohorts of COVID-19 patients after adjusting for age, sex, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. Unadjusted meta-analyses may not be appropriate for determining whether ARBs/ACE inhibitors are associated with mortality from COVID-19 because of indication bias.

INTRODUCTION: Les antagonistes des récepteurs de l'angiotensine (ARA) et/ou les inhibiteurs de l'enzyme de conversion de l'angiotensine (IECA) feraient varier la mortalité liée à la COVID-19, mais il est possible que les méta-analyses actuelles qui combinaient les résultats bruts et ajustés soient invalidées du fait que les comorbidités sont plus fréquentes chez les utilisateurs d'ARA/IECA. MÉTHODES: Nous avons effectué des recherches dans les bases de données PubMed/MEDLINE/Embase pour trouver des études de cohorte et des méta-analyses qui portent sur la mortalité associée à un traitement préexistant par ARA/IECA chez les patients hospitalisés atteints de la COVID-19. Nous avons utilisé la métarégression à effets aléatoires pour calculer les rapports de cotes regroupés de mortalité ajustés en fonction du déséquilibre de l'âge, du sexe, et de la prévalence des maladies cardiovasculaires, de l'hypertension, du diabète sucré et de l'insuffisance rénale chronique entre les utilisateurs et les non-utilisateurs d'ARA/IECA dans le cadre de l'étude durant la synthèse des données. RÉSULTATS: Dans les 30 études portant sur 17 281 patients, 22 %, 68 %, 25 % et 11 % avaient respectivement une maladie cardiovasculaire, de l'hypertension, le diabète sucré et de l'insuffisance rénale chronique. L'utilisation des ARA/IECA a été associée à une mortalité significativement plus faible après avoir tenu compte des facteurs confusionnels potentiels (rapport de cotes 0,77 [intervalle de confiance à 95 % : 0,62, 0,96]). En revanche, la méta-analyse sur l'utilisation des ARA/IECA n'a pas été associée de façon significative à la mortalité lorsque toutes les études ont été combinées sans ajustement sur les facteurs confusionnels (0,87 [intervalle de confiance à 95 % : 0,71, 1,08]). CONCLUSIONS: L'utilisation des ARA/IECA a été associée à la diminution de la mortalité au sein des cohortes de patients atteints de la COVID-19 après l'ajustement en fonction de l'âge, du sexe, des maladies cardiovasculaires, de l'hypertension, du diabète et de l'insuffisance rénale chronique. Les méta-analyses non ajustées peuvent ne pas permettre de déterminer si les ARA/IECA sont associés à la mortalité liée à la COVID-19 en raison du biais d'indication.

Acute Cardiac Injury in Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Other Viral Infections-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 binds and inhibits angiotensin-converting enzyme-2. The frequency of acute cardiac injury in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 is unknown. The objective was to compare the rates of cardiac injury by angiotensin-converting enzyme-2-binding viruses from viruses that do not bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme-2. DATA SOURCES: We performed a systematic review of coronavirus disease 2019 literature on PubMed and EMBASE. STUDY SELECTION: We included studies with ten or more hospitalized adults with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 or other viral pathogens that described the occurrence of acute cardiac injury. This was defined by the original publication authors or by: 1) myocardial ischemia, 2) new cardiac arrhythmia on echocardiogram, or 3) new or worsening heart failure on echocardiogram. DATA EXTRACTION: We compared the rates of cardiac injury among patients with respiratory infections with viruses that down-regulate angiotensin-converting enzyme-2, including H1N1, H5N1, H7N9, and severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-1, to those with respiratory infections from other influenza viruses that do not bind angiotensin-converting enzyme-2, including Influenza H3N2 and influenza B. DATA SYNTHESIS: Of 57 studies including 34,072 patients, acute cardiac injury occurred in 50% (95% CI, 44-57%) of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019. The overall risk of acute cardiac injury was 21% (95% CI, 18-26%) among hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019. In comparison, 37% (95% CI, 26-49%) of critically ill patients with other respiratory viruses that bind angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (p = 0.061) and 12% (95% CI, 7-22%) of critically ill patients with other respiratory viruses that do not bind angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (p < 0.001) experienced a cardiac injury. CONCLUSIONS: Acute cardiac injury may be associated with whether the virus binds angiotensin-converting enzyme-2. Acute cardiac injury occurs in half of critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 patients, but only 12% of patients infected by viruses that do not bind to angiotensin-converting enzyme-2.

New insights into life-history traits of Mediterranean Electric rays (Torpediniformes: Torpedinidae) as a contribution to their conservation.

Despite being commonly recognized by the general public, knowledge about the biology and life-history of electric rays is still scarce. Globally, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, more of the 80% of the species belonging to the Torpedinidae family are, indeed, classified as Data Deficient, so as, in most of the cases, no proper management measures are available for the conservation of these species. For this reason, the main goal of this study is to provide new information on life-history traits of three species inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea. Age and growth were estimated through direct annuli count of 146 vertebral centra sections of Torpedo marmorata. Females' growth pattern was found to be better described by a S-shaped function (Gompertz L∞ = 622mm TL; k = 0.15; IP=2.75 years), while males' by a logarithmic one (von Bertalanffy L∞ = 485mm TL; k = 0.14; t0 = -2.28). The oldest female and male were aged 17 (560mm TL) and 11 (432mm TL), respectively. Females (L50=379mm TL and A50=5.5 years) appeared to mature later than males (L50=272mm TL and A50=3.8 years), also attaining bigger sizes. Despite the observation of late-pregnant females being found only in autumn and regressing ones in autumn and winter, the presence of juveniles during the whole year may indicate a longer reproductive period. The stomach content analysis identified T. marmorata as a top predator (TROPH=4.38) with a very narrow trophic niche (Bi=0.22), extremely specialized in feeding on bony fishes. In addition, this work provides new and updated information on T. torpedo and the rare Tetronarce nobiliana growth, reproductive features and diet. Therefore, offering new essential data to assess the population conditions of all Torpedinidae species that inhabit the Mediterranean Sea, will lead to effective conservation plans.

Colonization of plastic debris by the long-lived precious red coral Corallium rubrum: New insights on the "plastic benefits" paradox.

Seafloor macrolitter is ubiquitous in world's oceans; still, huge knowledge gaps exist on its interactions with benthic biota. We report here the colonization of plastic substrates by the Mediterranean red coral Corallium rubrum (L. 1758), occurring both in controlled conditions and in the wild at ca. 85 m depth in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Juveniles settled on seafloor macro-litter, with either arborescent or encrusting morphology, ranging from 0.6 to 3.5 mm in basal diameter and 0.2-7.1 years of age, also including a fraction (20%) of potentially sexually mature individuals. In controlled conditions, larvae settled and survived on plastic substrates for >60 days. Our insights show that marine plastic debris can provide favourable substrate for C. rubrum settlement either in controlled conditions or in the wild, suggesting their possible use in restoration activities. However, we pinpoint here that this potential benefit could result in adverse effects on population dynamics.